IPCC assigned scientists the job of demonstrating that climate change is caused by humans

Grand Theft-Climate

Grand Theft-Auto is a popular virtual reality video game. The game allows players to commit a series of crimes in order to rise through the ranks of an organized crime syndicate. The IPCC and its handling of human-caused global warming has many parallels to the game Grand Theft-Auto.

The Syndicate

In Grand Theft-Climate, the syndicate is the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC was established in 1988 to assess “the scientific, technical and socioeconomic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change”. In other words, as opposed to charging scientists with studying climate change, the IPCC assigned scientists the job of demonstrating that climate change is caused by humans.

The Crime

In order to carry out the IPCC’s mandate to show a human cause for global warming, Dr. Jonathan Overpeck of the University of Arizona and one of the lead authors of the IPCC reports sent an e-mail to fellow researcher Dr. David Deming of the University of Oklahoma stating that:

“we have to get rid of the Medieval Warm Period.”

Dr. Deming, maintaining his scientific ethics and professionalism, refused to alter his data to “get rid of the Medieval Warm Period.” However, Dr. Michael Mann rose (sank) to the challenge. In 1998 he, along with co-authors Bradley and Hughes published the now famous “hockey-stick curve” that did just that (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Comparison of Mann’s Hockey-stick curve with Loehle’s climate curve (2007). Note that the historically documented Medieval Warm Period (AD 500 to AD 1300) and the Little Ice Age (AD 1450 to AD 1850) have been removed from Mann’s curve.

In order to “get rid of the Medieval Warm Period”, Mann, now at Pennsylvania State University where he currently serves as Director of the Earth System Science Center and his co-authors carefully selected data in order to develop a curve in which there was no warming prior to the late 1800’s, a date that could be assigned a human-cause. This deliberate data selection, or ‘cherry picking’ is a violation of all scientific ethics and professional standards. When such data selection is used to defraud an investor or the public, it is a crime.

Virtual Climate

In Grand Theft-Auto, the player avoids capture by driving through a virtual world. Although that virtual world is very realistic, general rules of physics do not apply. For example, you can run over a pedestrian at high speed and not destroy your car. In the game, Grand Theft-Auto, this deviation from real world physics is acceptable ‚Äì it is, after all, only a game.

In Grand Theft-Climate, all the evidence that climate change is human-caused resides in a virtual world. Climate virtual worlds are known as General Circulation Models (GCMs). These are highly sophisticated computer models that simulate climate. Although these models are sophisticated, many of the general rules of physics do not apply. For example, GCMs do not properly model the role of the most prevalent greenhouse gas water vapor (modeled as relative humidity). Nor do they properly handle changes in solar intensity, and a host of other significant factors. In short, GCMs are nothing more than a sophisticated virtual reality computer game.

Consensus

The consensus you are told about is real. All of the scientists that play in the virtual reality world of GCMs believe that global warming is human-caused. However, the majority of the scientists that study climate change in the real-world believe that climate change is driven by solar activity and influenced by oceanic currents, most notably the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

The Victims

In Grand Theft-Auto, the victims of the various crimes ordered by the syndicate are virtual, so aside from the questionable values expressed by the game in the first place, no harm is done. In Grand Theft-Climate, the victims are all too real; they are you and I.

The first cost is to the American Taxpayer. It is estimated that between 1990 and today, there has been as much as $70 Billion Dollars spent on researching climate change. Remember, per the IPCC mandate that is money spent mostly to demonstrate that climate change is caused by humans. More recently, $528 million of your tax dollars was given to Al Gore so he can build hybrid-cars in Finland. (not Tennessee, or even the new Government Motors, but Finland).

More significant costs to you are in the works. Carbon regulation and cap and trade, restriction of access to energy sources, and numerous other Federal Regulations are all intended to make your energy costs more expensive. How much more expensive, no one is sure, but the most realistic estimates place it in the range of $900 - $1300 per household per year. Add inflation and higher costs of gas at the pump, and, of course, continued climate research, and your personal losses to Grand Theft-Climate could easily be $2000 a year.

Summary
The assertion that humans have caused global warming is fraudulent. It began under a mandate from the IPCC to find a human cause for climate change. It was popularized after Dr. Michael Mann, responding to a challenge to “get rid of the Medieval Warm Period” manipulated his data and published his now infamous “Hockey-stick” curve. It is perpetuated by climate scientists who make a living playing virtual reality games. Together, this adds up to Grand Theft-Climate, and you are the victim.

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